During a recent dinner party at his house, Sean Penn sat down with one of his friend's dates, who happened to be an Iraq war veteran.

The vet opened up to Sean about his massive medical bills, and the actor/activist listened intently and took him very seriously.

Here's what a source had to say about it:

"Sean really took an interest in this guy and was hanging on his every word. He became the guest of honor, really."

The vet told Sean that he currently owes approximately $15,000 in medical expenses from treatments for the following injuries that he sustained during the war:

"[A] broken tailbone, two broken ankles, and problems with his eyesight."

After hearing all of this, Sean left the room, and returned with a $15K check!!!

More from a source on the vet's reaction:

"The guy was in total shock! He didn’t know what to say and he started to tear up. He felt awkward accepting it and tried to give it back to Sean, but Sean refused. He actually went out of his way to make sure the guy felt comfortable accepting it. It was really sweet!"

Thank you for being so selfless, Sean! You're an inspiration to us all!

Give me a break
First off if Sean was such a stand up guy and wanted to help the vet out, we would not be reading this story, it would have been done quietly, and not another Sean Penn give me the spotlight moment
(Remember Sean in the boat in New Orleans)
Next $15,000 for medical bill seems really low, doesn't the vet have Obama Care ?

A new Bill Cosby accuser's story of how he allegedly sexually assaulted her after drugging her drink is horrifying.

According to Patricia, -- who decided to keep her last name anonymous -- Bill invited her to a dinner party in 1978 after they met at a conference... a dinner party that ended up just being the two of them: